Top Australian ministers are confident a security treaty can be signed with Vanuatu after the deal was scuppered days before it was set to be signed.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese was expected to ink the $500 million Nakamal agreement when he visited Vanuatu before the Pacific Islands Forum leaders' meeting.

But his counterpart Jotham Napat said some of the wording needed further discussion, particularly around other nations being able to fund the nation's critical infrastructure projects.

In August, Defence Minister Richard Marles was one of three senior ministers to visit Vanuatu, where negotiations on the treaty were supposedly finalised before the prime minister's visit.

Mr Marles, who doubles as the deputy prime minister, said Australia understood negotiations took time.

"But p

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